Varg: "Breivik is crazy"
Interview with Varg Vikernes
"Devilution" Magazine (08.04.2012)
Kent Kirkegaard Jensen

"Devilution" got the opportunity to interview the man behind Burzum, Varg Vikernes and it became both talk about music and attitudes.

When the editor contacted me and said that I had to interview the "Count", as Varg Vikernes has been called, my first impression was that it must be a delayed April Fool. The man behind Burzum has been known to be very shy and only given quite a few interviews since he was released from prison, where he had spent many years for the murder of Øystein Aarseth, also known as "Euronymous". But it turned out to be right. The head was soaked and we hurried to get some questions sent off. We didn't know anything about deadline or what he would answer, so in order not to be rejected, the undersigned sent the questions off as soon as possible.

The funny thing is that it took less than 24 hours from the time we sent the questions until the answers were in the inbox. Fast service, I must say. Here at "Devilution" we are pleased to bring an interview with Vikernes. The undersigned has previously interviewed both Tomas Haugen and Trym (Samoth and Trym from Emperor, Zyklon etc.), Kjetil-Vidar Haraldstad (Frost from Satyricon, Gorgoroth, 1349 etc.) and Sigurd Wongraven (Satyr of Satyricon). So getting Vikernes to speak out also means that our (and your) knowledge of the Norwegian metal scene will be all the greater and more nuanced.

Vikernes sometimes answers very briefly and concisely, which means that it requires some insight from the reader (and the questioner, not least). I have tried to explain prior to the questions or afterwards when it gets a bit technical and detailed. It should provide some background knowledge and prepare the reader for the questions. For Vikernes has already posted detailed descriptions of his music and the landmark events on his website, which is why he himself refers to these and I allow myself to quote from that material.

With this introduction should you, dear reader, like to be a little better prepared for the "Devilution's" first interview with Varg Vikernes, the man behind the music project Burzum.

What made you want to write music in the first place? How did "Burzum" come about?

You can read about that here, if you care to.

Vikernes refers to his website, where the band's biography is divided into chapters. Chapter 1 deals with the time from when he was a young boy, who with his peers played role-playing games in the forests and was inspired by Tolkien. He originally started a band named "Uruk-Hai" and by detours it later became "Burzum". Here he also writes that Norse mythology was the primary driving force and that it was Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" book that inspired the young boys to seek more knowledge. It made it natural to follow up with this question:

Burzum is taken from "Lord Of The Rings" and you even have a track called "En Ring Til Å Herske" (One Ring to Rule)? What has the Tolkien book meant to you?

It used to be (and I say that because it is no longer) a source of inspiration, both in relation to music and also roleplaying games (like D&D, AD&D, MERP/RoleMaster etc.). Tolkien used much European symbolism and mythology, and I think that is what made me interested.

From where do you draw inspiration for writing music and lyrics?

From Mímisbrunnr (Mímir's wellspring).

It should be said here that Mímisbrunnr is from the Norse mythology. It is a well where the character Mímir guards. Mímir is known for his wisdom and knowledge, and Odin used to come and drink from this well and acquire knowledge. Mímir himself also drinks from the well. Later, Odin finds a decapitated Mímir and takes his head to himself, who then continues to give Odin knowledge. Mímisbrunnr is located under the Tree Yggdrasil; the world tree in Norse mythology. So what Vikernes says is that he finds his inspiration in the same place as the Old Norse gods. Mímisbrunnr is mentioned in "Völuspá" (Prophecy of the völva, a seeress), a poem from the Icelandic sagas, which Burzum's upcoming album "Umskiptar" (Metamorphosis) has as its theme.

What can we expect on "Umskiptar"? What is the theme of that album?

The theme is "Völuspá". You can expect a musical journey taking you through the different moods of the poem.

You write that it is about "Völuspá". This old poem about Norse mythology and I know Tolkien said, that he was inspired by it. Why did you choose to write about that? Can you maybe elaborate on the subject and tell our readers a little about it and why you chose to interpret it?

Well, I could write an entire book about the subject, and as you might already know I have already done so. It is called "Sorcery And Religion In Ancient Scandinavia", and if you have an interest in the subject I suggest you read the book. I chose to write about this and interpret the poem because it is a very important part of our European culture and history.

You've written a lot about the ancient religions in Europe. Why (in the first place) did you decide to dig deep into that subject?

Because it is our culture and the foundation, on which everything we built in Europe stands. Even Christianity is 90% Paganism and is thus more based on our European religion than on the Asian Judaism.

We slightly change the topic and move on to the previous two albums. Burzum released in 2010 the record "Belus", which was the first real record after the prison release. Last year, "Fallen" came out. I would like to briefly reverse the two records with Vikernes.

"Belus" was originally planned to be called "Den Hvite Guden" (The White God)? Why the change?

The title was widely misunderstood and took the focus away from the music, so I changed it. Anyway, it is quite common for artists to have a working title for their projects, and "Den Hvite Guden" was one working title for "Belus". The album was originally called "The Return of Baldur", by the way, but as we know now I changed that too.

On "Fallen" a lot of the lyrics are on the topic of death, the mystery of death. You also say that your life is running out and going somewhere else. Are you more aware of your own mortality and what are the thoughts behind those lyrics?

No, I am not more aware of my mortality. The lyrics deal with the same as the "Belus" lyrics, only in a less mythological language, so to speak. They deal with the journey into the realm of death as a journey of initiation and a search for hidden knowledge.

For "Devilution", this interview is also partly a journey after unknown knowledge. Or rather, other interpretations of a history and knowledge we have on the basis of sources other than the one we are talking about now. It is no secret that Vikernes killed Aarseth 10 August 1993. Most have heard about how Vikernes sought out Aarseth at his residence and the result of that meeting was that Aarseth lost his life, and Vikernes was convicted of the murder. Vikernes was in prison from 1994 to 2009, serving 16 years. This landmark event was instrumental in the sudden increase in focus on the metal scene in Norway. To do a first interview with Vikernes without touching on that topic would seem strange to many readers, which is why we asked about it.

A lot has been said and written about you and the murder of Øystein Aarseth. It was the moment when Norwegian Black Metal suddenly got widespread international attention. What do you think about your role in making a subgenre so known to the point that it is a major export industry for Norway today?

Actually, Norwegian so-called Black Metal suddenly got attention in January 1993, when I did an interview for "Bergens Tidende" (Bergen Newspaper), where the journalist changed the entire interview and wrote a lot of nonsense instead of what I had told him, and Øystein Aarseth was never murdered; he was killed after having attacked me in his apartment.

My role in making Black Metal known was important, but only because Øystein Aarseth himself used Burzum to spread his idea of how Black Metal was supposed to be like in the metal underground in 1992 in particular, and later because the media misused Burzum and me to spread their own version of so-called Black Metal – id est the tasteless parody we all know as "Norwegian Black Metal" today.

You've said that you don't like the "Black Metal" scene that exists today. What is it that offends you by it?

It's a tasteless parody of what it was supposed to be. I can add that I am not "offended" by it. I only ever think about it when asked questions like this.

Do you have any contact with the people from the Norwegian Black Metal community today? (Both those who were in the bands back then and now)

No, I have no interest in so-called Black Metal or the people involved.

A lot of people have listened to your music through all these years and still do. Yet you seem not to want any contact with your fans. Why is that?

Generally speaking, I have no interest in speaking to or meeting other individuals at all, and that's it really. Some individuals want to meet strangers for positive feedback or for something else, others don't. I am in the latter group.

I know our readers would like to hear from you on the subject of being in prison for so long and the myth surrounding you because of the events that led up to your incarceration. What do you feel about that? Can you understand why people are curious to know more about you, your actions and your thoughts afterwards?

I don't know. I think most who are curious just want to find the truth, because they are honest and because they understand that the media story is just lies.

Because unlike other convicted murderers, you were already known before this happened. And I can only assume that maybe you tire of being asked about it all the time, but have you thought about how this maybe will follow you as long as you are an artist, producing music and sticking your head out, so to speak?

Yes, I have thought about that, but there is not much I can do about it, so I don't spend time worrying about it, so to speak.

Would you have done anything different today had you been given the chance to do it over?

Sure, but spending time thinking such things is a waste of time.

You've said in earlier interviews ("Terrorizer", 2011) that you are now a father of four and married. How is that? Do you attend kindergarten, school etc. with your children or do you shy away in fear of being recognized?

Well, why on Earth would I fear being recognized? All I ever experience when meeting people who recognize me is praise and sympathy, thankfulness (for telling the truth) and even admiration (from music fans). I have yet to have an unpleasant encounter with anyone. And why would I have one? The media is telling lies all the time, but most people have the sense to check the facts on their own, and the facts can easily be found out there – on burzum.org. So... I don't answer questions regarding my family.

Vikernes thus refutes the myth that he should have dug himself completely into the Norwegian soil and completely secluded himself from civilization. But how much does he follow and how interested is he in the society around him? I thought that if anything happened, Anders Behring Breivik's terrorist acts in Oslo and Utøya dated 22 July 2011 have caught Vikernes' attention. Not least because Vikernes himself is against miscegenation and worries about the mental and genetic decay he believes Europe is undergoing right now.

It is no secret that you've been very vocal about how the human races should not be mixed. Is it still your belief that the European bloodline has been gradually weakened?

Yes.

You must have heard about a man called Breivik and the killings on Utøya. To some extent, his views mirror yours. What do you think of Breivik and his actions on Utøya and in Oslo?

To some extent his views mirrors mine? Well, he is first and foremost a nutcase Zionist and a fanatic Christian Freemason, and his views are so "all over the place" we can actually say his views to some extent mirrors just about everyone's views. I must stress that he is first and foremost a Zionist though, and should be treated as one. If you want my opinion on this you can read this.

In that article, Vikernes explains his positions on Breivik and why he believes Breivik to be a Zionist. Zionism is a form of J****h nationalism that holds that J**s have a right to certain areas in and around Palestine. A conflict most people have heard of in the news. Vikernes certainly does not sympathize with the J**s, and his predicate of Breivik can therefore be unambiguously interpreted as that he believes Breivik is a simple Lackey.

With these detours, however, it is time to return to music. As a longtime fan and listener of Burzum music and avid concert-goer, I should of course try to sneak a concert out of Vikernes. I knew it would be uphill, but if you don't try, you won't succeed at all. So just see this question as my meager attempt to get the man and the band on stage for Aalborg Metal Festival or the like.

I know that several concert organizers would like to book you to do a show. As an artist, isn't it tempting to say yes and get your music out to the masses and feed of the energy from the crowd?

Well, I am not some egocentric leech feeding of the energy of others, and I really just want to stay home and live a quiet life. I never go to concerts, either, for that sake, and have serious problems understanding why anybody does.

Here, a thick line is put under the shortcomings of conducting an interview by email. Because there are several answers in this interview that I would have liked to have followed up. But it is impossible to predict what the interviewee will answer to a given question. Exactly here, where we have very different perceptions of what a concert experience is, it could have been nice to follow up. It could be anywhere else, but those are the conditions of the interview. C'est la vie.

And a few final questions. With "Belus" in 2010, "Fallen" in 2011 and "Umskiptar" in 2012 it seems you've hit the same creative ore of productivity, that sparked Burzum in the first place back in the beginning of the 1990's. Can we expect another album already in 2013 or what are your immediate future plans for yourself and/or Burzum?

Well, I think I might take a break from music and spend some years building a house instead. Maybe I have the interest and will to make music in the evenings, maybe not. Time shall tell.

And thus ends "Devilution's" first interview with Varg Vikernes, who makes up the One-Man Project Burzum. The premise of the interview was that it was done by email. It also reflects the answers, as I have not been able to follow up on the answers. However, I tried to get around both the music, the thoughts behind it and a bit about the person who makes the music. Obviously, many readers would like to know more about the fabled time of the early 1990s, when bands such as Burzum, Mayhem, Darkthrone, Emperor, Satyricon etc. took their first musical steps, as well as the events that helped draw attention to Norway. Ranging from the murder of Euronymous, Dead's suicide, Faust's murder of a gay man, the church burnings etc. These are all incendiary topics, which have been reproduced countless times in various media.

As a fan of music and a curious person, I have read lots of newspaper articles, books (such as "Lords of Chaos"), seen films (such as "Until the Light Takes Us" and various documentaries) and articles on the Internet, where Vikernes himself has written detailed explanations on his own website, to which you can find links in several places in this interview.

As described at the top of the interview, I have also talked to several other key people in the environment before. Do you ever get answers to all your questions? Hardly. Everyone has his or her own interpretation of the truth. Whom to trust? We are, as Vikernes says, hopefully sensible enough to check up on the facts.

Author: Kent Kirkegaard Jensen (© 2012 "Devilution" Magazine, Denmark)

In other languages: Dansk